For the third issue of 2017 we have eight contributions, which come from a variety of authors from China, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States. These contributions include three refereed articles, two non-refereed articles, two interviews and a book review. We hope you enjoy reading these articles.

The first refereed article, “Technology and Telenovelas: Incorporating Culture and Group Work in the L2 Classroom” describes a qualitative study exploring the use of technology to introduce cultural context in small group activities. Based upon Walker and Baets (2009) Instructional Design Framework this study uses the soap opera La Reina del Sur as the cultural background. The authors are Chesla Ann Lenkaitis (formerly Chesla Ann Bohinski) and Benjamin English, both... [+ read more]

Abstract: Utilizing Walker and Baets’ (2009) Instructional Design Framework, this study qualitatively investigated the utilization of technology as a means to introduce cultural context in small group learning activities to support second language learning (L2) in the classroom. Five intermediate-level learners of L2 Spanish (n = 5) worked in groups via Zoom, a video conferencing tool, to complete activities based on their understanding of a telenovela (soap opera), La Reina del Sur, in the Spanish language. By analyzing pre- and post-surveys of all participants’ opinions regarding technology, culture, and group work as well as the coding of two groups’ Zoom transcripts with NVivo 10 software, this study investigated whether exposure to the L2 culture, via technology, influenced L2 learners. Also, this study examined online small group work activity (Gass 1997; Long, 1996; Pica 1991, 1994) and in what ways media and technology impacted L2 participants’ interaction in this medium. Although participants identified the areas of difficulty with understanding the telenovela in the post-survey, participants also commented that they improved in language skills and culture from participation in the telenovela activity. Results from the coding of Zoom sessions revealed that students benefitted from small-group work and exposure to the target language’s culture through the integration of technology. Although results revealed that learner engagement can decrease when a leader in the group emerges, they also revealed that minimal contributions are meaningful.

Abstract: As the use of mobile devices has become normalised, texting practices continue to gain popularity and acceptance among users. Texting itself has claimed territory in communicative domains that were once solely occupied by face-to-face (f2f), phone, or e-mail communication. As texting and messaging functions are expanding, and the complex multimodality of those messages increases, it becomes clearer that mobile communicative patterns and intercultural semiotic conversion practices need to be explicitly addressed in the classroom. Students’ abilities to successfully participate in informal communicative language play are relevant to short term language acquisition and long term academic socialization and persistence. By framing this discussion in a literature review through the lens of multiliteracies, this pedagogical article offers several ideas to encourage ELT professionals to harness the popularity of texting and to promote critical awareness of language use among digital platforms through integration of texting and situated academic and social collaboration (e.g., negotiating and producing assignments) via SMS into their curriculum. The latter behaviours will become integral to student persistence in higher academic arenas. This paper foregrounds the ways that texting helps develop English language skills in authentic, modern ways; it also addresses explicitly how teacher-broached critical awareness of communicative norms in digital spaces is a tool of academic and social agency for L2 learners.

Abstract: This study analyzes the effectiveness of using the arts in the disciplines of drama and theater and painting as a visual art form to promote a positive learning environment where students interact and use English in a meaningful and enjoyable manner. The question that guided this study was: What features emerged from the implementation of the arts in the disciplines of theater and painting among fifth grade students in a Colombian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) public school setting? The principle objective of the study was to demonstrate that arts (painting and theater) integrated in the lessons promoted a change in the teaching/learning dynamics as well as in the learning atmosphere in an EFL classroom. This qualitative study was conducted by the teacher as a participant researcher and the participants were a class of seven fifth grade students. Data was collected from the researcher’s field notes, student artifacts, and student journals in a public school of Usme, a lower socio-economic neighborhood in the southeast of Bogota, Colombia. The analysis of data shows that students’ attitudes were improved towards the use of English as they carried out their responsibilities in a cooperative learning environment. Moreover, the data showed the participants’ increased self-esteem, as they progressively changed certain behavioral attitudes related to some school-work activities. Overall, the results indicate that arts should be seen as a dynamic process in order to develop learners’ autonomy and raising of critical questions about the potential for the integration of the arts in the EFL curriculum.

Abstract: There are potentially great benefits to be reaped from raising our students’ awareness of collocations when we teach English. Collocations are words which naturally appear together in a language, for example, “benefits” are “reaped” (not “harvested”) and “awareness” is “raised” (not “lifted”) in English. Using collocations with more confidence and accuracy has been named as the one key element that can move students forward from their intermediate plateau (Morgan Lewis, 2000). The following article is a guide to what an EFL teacher might like to know about collocations in order to begin to incorporate raising awareness of collocations into their lessons. It examines the different definitions authors have attempted to give collocations, as well as the different types of collocations that exist and which types are most important to focus on in our teaching. The article also includes some common problems which students (especially Spanish speakers) tend to encounter with collocations. Suggestions are provided as to how the problems may be solved using activities and specific practical ideas for teachers and students.

Abstract: This is a study of the group work conducted in two first-year engineering classes (Class A & Class B) to foster speaking skills in English. The teacher/researcher found that group work is a good way to develop speaking skills. The use of group work was accepted well by Class A but not by Class B. To prove this point, the teacher/researcher explains an activity that worked well in one class but not in the other. A Student Evaluation was collected at the end of the semester with the help of a questionnaire, based on the following factors: 1) the ideal number for group work; 2) the ideal type of grouping: fixed or flexible; 3) merits of group work; 4) problems faced; and 5) suggestions for improvement. The evaluation of the teacher/researcher was also carried out based on these factors for the purpose of self-study and improvement of the classes in the future. Analyzing the data from the Student Evaluation and the Teacher/researcher Evaluation, the study defines the elements that contribute to successful group work, and suggests a 5D procedure: direct, discuss, develop, deliver and document.

Abstract: Mary Petron has published over twenty articles, six book chapters, and one edited volume, amongst other publications. Her widespread research and publications have led her to present in national and international conferences concerning her interest in the transnationalism phenomenon. Mary Petron was born in Midwestern United States, of Mexican descent. She holds a PhD in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas.

Abstract: For more than four decades, theoretical research has attempted to describe second language acquisition from static and linear perspectives. However, the Chaos/Complexity Theory put forward by Professor Diane Larsen-Freeman provides new insights into the nature and development of second languages. This email interview of Professor Larsen-Freeman was conducted in order to develop a better understanding of this theory. The interview also discusses how and the extent to which the tenets of the Chaos/Complexity Theory have some implications on teaching, learning and assessing English as a foreign language in Mexican classrooms.